Changes and Reunions
by Ishval
Summary: We're at the start of Season 5 and big changes and reunions are in store for the Voltron team. One of the biggest changes happens to Maya during this story. Read on to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Prisoner and Blood Duel

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin around the universe. The only characters I own are Maya the shapeshifting Zenoxian, and Nimel, the freedom fighter.

 **Finally made it to Season 5. And I have to again say a big Thank You to Puff the Ninja.**

* * *

The Castle of Lions sat on the planet of Naxzela, it's the new home for the moment as repairs were being made and mop up operations was underway to remove any remaining Galra from the planet. Maya joined the Paladins in the lounge while Nimel ran checks on the status of their prisoner Lotor.

Maya bit her bottom lip as she rubbed her hands on her pant legs. Dark blue circles had formed under her eyes. Ever since the battle for Naxzela, actually the entire quadrant, she hadn't heard a thing from her father. She couldn't stop her worry since he'd gone to radio silence.

Hunk who sat near her said, "Oh, man! Going on missions is a lot easier when somebody gives you the information you need."

Lance glanced at Hunk out of the corner of his eye, "And yet, you still managed to run your Lion into a wall." A smirk formed on the Red Paladin's face.

Pidge glanced around at the others, "Yeah, information is one thing. Ability is something completely different."

Shiro nodded, "There's no doubt about it, we haven't encountered a single problem."

Allura sighed, "I must admit, we took down a vital target today."

"And we made it look pretty easy except for the getting buried in lava part," Pidge added with a pointed glance at Hunk who fidgeted in his seat.

Shiro looked at the others, "It may be time to consider taking the next step."

Allura stared at him but couldn't stop the uncertainty of using the information that Lotor supplied. "I'm still not comfortable with this. It just doesn't feel right."

Lance rose from his seat and walked over taking a position next to Maya. "Penny for your thoughts," he said as he gazed at her.

She couldn't stop the question from slipping out as she glanced up at him, "What's a penny?"

"It's a form of money on Earth," he said. "So what's wrong?"

"I haven't heard anything from my father," she said as warmth wrapped around her middle as she looked down to find Pidge hugging her.

Hunk was next to join in the hug, followed by Lance who's voice was as soft as a caress as he spoke, "You'll see him again. You didn't just find him to lose him again."

"Thanks, guys," Maya said quietly as she closed her eyes to let their warmth flow through her. A small smile pulled at her mouth.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the library as communications were opened to different members of the coalition. However, Maya found herself standing against the wall. I shouldn't be here. She thought as she crossed her arms over her body. All these people had happier prospects than she did. Besides looking at Lotor down in the prisoner's cell gave her the creeps and didn't stop reminding her of what the Galra had done to her.

Though she had come to accept The Blade of Marmora as allies, she couldn't stop the memories of the past from moving forward in her brain. She shuddered as one of the leaders on the screen started speaking, but she wasn't in the mood to listen to anything he had to say. Maya glanced down at the floor.

With all the thoughts churning in her head she barely heard anything that was said, she still missed her father. But she looked up when Pidge tapped her on the arm, "Want to get out of here and join Matt and me for a while? We could use your help on a few projects. I know Hunk has been teaching you some Engineering stuff."

"Sure," Maya said as she followed Pidge out of the library.

* * *

Maya stood with Pidge and Matt as Nyma spoke. "Thank you for helping us get the fleet back in order. They were pretty banged up after the invasion."

"No problem," Pidge said. "Maya helped out," and then she went on about the upgrades they had added to the ships.

Maya guessed it was probably a good thing that she wore her armor. At that moment, Rolo stepped out of his ship, "Pidge, you got a message incoming."

Maya followed the others inside the ship as Rolo brought up the main screen. Shiro and Allura faces appeared on the screen.

Pidge smiled at the screen, "Hey guys."

The tone of Shiro's voice alerted Maya to something being off as he said, "Pidge."

The Green Paladin stared at them, "Is something wrong?"

Shiro said gently, "We have a lead on Commander Holt. Your father."

"Our father?" Pidge asked hopefully but almost unbelievingly.

Shiro added, "Lotor gave us information about his whereabouts."

Maya placed a hand on Pidge's shoulder offering comfort as the Green Paladin had done earlier.

"Where is he?" Pidge asked.

Allura approached the subject tenderly and spoke softly as if to a small child, "Because your father was considered a valuable scientific asset, he was moved to a remote prison with others like him. They're being forced to work for the Galra."

Shiro added, "According to Lotor he's still at the prison, but he could be transferred at any moment. As soon as the teledav is repaired, we can all head over there."

Matt and Pidge exchanged looks, and Matt ran out first. Pidge said over her shoulder as she took off after her brother, "Send us the coordinates."

Allura called out trying to stop the pair of siblings, "Pidge, Matt! If you wait for us, we'll be able to provide you with backup."

Rolo stood as he gazed at the pair of Paladins, "Hey don't worry. We'll make sure they got the backup they need."

Maya stared at Shiro and Allura, "I'm going with them. Pidge and Matt gave me my father I'm going to make sure they get their father back."

Allura smiled softly, "Bring them back safe. Good luck."

Maya nodded and hurried after Nyma, Rolo, and Beezer.

* * *

As Pidge piloted the Green Lion, Maya's heart broke at Pidge's comments. "What if something's happened to him, Matt? What if –?"

Matt placed his hand on her shoulder, "We're gonna bring Dad back, I promise."

Pidge remained quiet until their destination came into sight. "Approaching the prison."

"This place is gonna have security. We're gonna go head first into that?" Rolo asked.

Pidge said confidently, "That's why we have cloaking."

The Green Lion flew through a barrier field that deactivated the cloaking field on the craft. An alarm blared inside the cockpit. "How did they detect us?" She asked of no one in particular. She ignored Rolo's obvious comment, "We hit some sort of barrier and lost cloaking!"

Beezer started buzzing and beeping. "Galra fighters on an intercept course!" Pidge yelled as the fighters fired on the Green Lion. Using the tail laser, Pidge shot the middle one and threaded the needle between the other two. "Change of plan! I'm gonna have to drop you off! Hold on!"

Pidge brought the Green Lion to a hover as the cargo hatch opened. Rolo, Nyma, Matt, Beezer, and Maya jumped out into the air going into freefall. Maya watched as the Lion sped away leading the Galra fighter on a wild ride.

As they fell through the atmosphere, the wind whipped at them and whistled by as they dropped. Matt said, "Everybody, fire jetpacks!"

Matt kept hitting his button his wrist gauntlet, but his jetpack didn't fire. "Something's wrong! My pack's not firing!"

Nyma yelled as he began tumbling in the air.

He was falling too fast for Maya to reach him. Beezer beeped as a couple of cable like arms extended and reached out and wrapped around Matt's middle pulling him back up to the robot.

They landed on the ground, and Nyma said, "You know you can let go of him now."

Matt said, "I'd rather not."

* * *

Once Matt got over his fear of nearly dying because of a malfunction. They ran to rush the sentries. As they hid behind a barrier, Rolo said, "No guards."

Matt consulted the information provided by Lotor, "Security and defense systems in this prison are completely automated. Override codes should shut everything down."

Maya stood up, and Matt reached up to yank her back down. He didn't see what both the Zenoxian and Nyma saw, "Uh, looks like everything is already shut down."

Matt said, "What's going on?" as he got to his feet.

They entered the prison and passed several sentries in different states of destruction as though someone had fought their way through earlier. They reached a central area where several prisoners were chatting.

Rolo crawled down the hall on his hands and knees. Only to be discovered by one of the prisoners who alerted the others.

One of the aliens said, "Don't hurt us!"

Nyma stepped forward, "No one's here to hurt you."

"You're not with the scary lady?"

"No, we're not," Maya said.

Matt added, "We're here to rescue you. Wait, what scary lady?"

"She told us to stay inside. If we went out, we'd be hurt."

Nyma sighed, these people were scared enough as it was. "Well, no one is here now. Come on we're leaving."

Matt scanned over the prisoners in the area below him, "Is this everyone?"

"No, there are others back in the cells."

Matt ran off to search for his missing father.

Rolo looked around. He couldn't leave these people behind. They had families who were missing them. "Everybody, hurry up and come with us."

Maya helped usher the prisoners out of their prison.

At the entrance Nyma contacted Pidge on her rebel issued communicator, "Pidge, we're ready for pick-up."

"I can't come to get you! It's still too hot! If I fly down to pick you up, I'll be leading all of these ships there. You'll be sitting ducks. We need to come up with some other way to get the scientists off the planet."

Rolo grabbed Nyma's communicator, "Pidge, what if I brought the group to you?"

Nyma glared at him, "And how are we gonna do that?"

Rolo smiled at her, "I've got an idea. Follow me." He led them to the hanger where an escape shuttle sat. Rolo, Nyma, and Maya got everyone inside.

The Zenoxian stood near the cockpit. As she heard the conversation, she rolled her eyes as the alien said, "These pods are only meant to carry five passengers. We'll be lucky to break through the atmosphere."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Rolo replied as the engines began firing up.

Maya couldn't help but hope for the best for them, and the Holt siblings were getting their father back. She wound her way through the scientists where Nyma stood waiting for Matt. The Zenoxian glanced at the female rebel who said, "Come on, Matt. Where are you?"

The person in question came running out and climbed up into the rear of the shuttle, "Let's go."

"But where's –?" the rebel asked.

The look he turned on her was filled with pain as he shouted, "Let's go!"

The engines whined louder as Maya felt the motion as the shuttle took off from the ground. She gazed at the eldest of the Holt siblings, "Matt…" but stopped as he shook his head.

As the shuttle fought to gain altitude, Matt looked up. "Something's wrong," he said as the Galran made vehicle shuddered and strained to achieve the upper levels of the atmosphere. Right as the last engine groaned and died the Green Lion appeared and caught the craft in the cargo bay.

Maya exited the shuttlecraft with Matt, and the pair entered the cockpit of the Lion. Pidge jumped up out of her seat, "Matt! Did you find him?"

Matt's sad amber eyes stared into his sister's hopeful eyes, "I'm sorry Pidge."

"No! Dad! Dad, where are you?"

"He wasn't there," Matt said sorrowfully. "He was already gone." He reached out and grabbed her as she collapsed into his arms.

"No. No…" she cried.

Maya knelt on the other side of Pidge and wrapped her arms around the siblings. She offered them her comfort in their time of need.

"Don't give up, Pidge. We know Dad's alive. We'll find them."

"And I'll be there with both of you," Maya added.

* * *

On the bridge of the Castle of Lions Pidge sat despondently curled up with her hands wrapped around her legs and head buried into her knees in her seat. Matt stood on one side and Maya on the other side of her. They both formed not only a screen of protection for the smallest of the Paladins but also one of comfort.

An image of Zarkon appeared on the main viewing screen of the Castle of Lions. "Paladins of Voltron. I am making a one time offer. I have someone of value to you." He moved, and Sam Holt appeared surrounded by Lotor's generals.

Pidge looked up and saw him. She jumped out of her seat, "Dad!"

"I will hand him over, and in exchange, you give me my son Lotor."

* * *

The Castle of Lions orbited the planet where the exchange was to take place.

Shiro faced Pidge and Matt. He didn't have to say anything he could see the determination on the siblings' faces. Maya stepped up, "I'm going too."

Shiro shook his head, "I don't think so."

Maya's muscles tightened as she stared Shiro in the eye, "I have to go. If it weren't for Pidge and Matt, I wouldn't have found my father. I have to be there if it's nothing more than moral support."

Shiro frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I still don't like this idea. You don' have enough battle experience."

Allura stepped into the middle of this weighing in her opinion, "She has a point, Shiro. She has to go along."

He only nodded in silent agreement as he inwardly growled at the Zenoxian.

* * *

Pidge sat next to Shiro as he flew the shuttle. Matt and Maya guarded Lotor, who said nothing on the trip down to the planet.

Shiro landed the pod. As the particle barrier for the cockpit lowered, he and Pidge hopped out of the front while Matt and Maya stepped out of the rear and stepped onto the barren desert wasteland. Matt looked around and asked, "Are you sure this is the place?"

The Black Paladin nodded, "This is the place."

Maya took a step away from them, "I'm going to get into position. If Zarkon does pull a fast one, I'll know." She dropped down to her hands and knees as her body glowed. Her skin changed to appear reptilian, and her body lengthened as she sprouted a tail. She grew, so her shoulder stopped at the top of Pidge's head.

Her face elongated onto a longer neck with a lizard-like head, and arms and legs sprouted feet with impressive claws. She blinked at Pidge then opened her mouth exposing an impressive array of teeth. Spines grew out of her back creating a long yet tall sail. Her lizard-like skin took on the browns, and tans of the surrounding ground.

She reminded Matt of a dinosaur from Earth called a Dimetrodon, but it was like an instant later he couldn't see her anymore. It was like the Zenoxian vanished out of existence. He mouthed, "Wow."

Pidge looked up at Shiro, "Where's Zarkon?"

The three heard a noise, and their gaze was drawn to a bright point in the distance. They watched as the shuttle flew in and passed by overhead. Maya used the dust and debris to cover her movements to a point halfway between both shuttles to keep an eye on Zarkon. She didn't trust the Galra leader, not for an instant.

As Zarkon stepped out the back of the ship, "Show me Lotor!"

Shiro yelled back, "Show us, Commander Holt, first!"

Two women moved into view with a thin, shaggy-haired human in front of them. Maya growled softly in her throat.

Pidge yelled, "Dad!" but the Black Paladin grabbed her arm stopping her from running to him.

"Now, where is Lotor?" Zarkon said.

Lotor stepped out of the back of the Altean pod as Shiro said, "Send us Commander Holt!"

Zarkon turned to the women as Maya heard him say, "Release him."

Commander Holt began walking down the ramp toward his children. Maya's hearing was exceptional in the form of the Altean Loncore as she heard Shiro's voice, "Stay alert. If Zarkon's going to try something, now would be the time."

As Lotor and Commander Holt passed each other the Zenoxian in the Loncore form sniffed the air. She smelled Lotor but nothing from the human. It was a very realistic hologram she realized. Her eyes narrowed as her muscles bunched ready to spring at the instant something happened. From her studies aboard the Castle of Lions, she learned that the Loncore was a dangerous Altean creature hunted almost to extinction because they were deadly predators. She was glad she picked this form because even though they were deadly they had speed and she knew that she could make it onboard Zarkon's shuttle in two to three dobashes.

Pidge bolted for her father. She reached out to him and passed through the hologram. She screamed at Zarkon, "No! No, we had a deal! We had a deal!" Her face twisted in anger, "Give me my father!"

Zarkon roared back," If you want this Earthling returned alive, you will forfeit Voltron to me immediately!"

Pidge struggled now against Matt who reached her, "No, No! We have to get Dad!"

Matt turned to the oldest Paladin, "Shiro?"

Shiro kept his eye on the other ship as he said, "Hold your positions until the time is right."

While Zarkon was ordering for them to bring the lions to him, Lotor produced the Black bayard breaking through his cuffs and attacked his father.

Zarkon said, "So the time has come. This ends today."

Maya silently agreed as she charged toward the Galra transport and shifted her colors to blend into the interior of the ship. As she found a place to observe, the shuttle's engines fired as the Zenoxian eyed two of the three Galra with Sam. The biggest one was the most dangerous, and she'd have to be dispatched quickly.

Maya's muscles bunched up again to charge when a large piece of metal dropped to the floor of the ship and Shiro dropped inside followed by Pidge and Matt. The former protector of Allura shifted back to herself as her hands gripped the handles of her swords.

Pidge yelled, "Hey! Let my dad go!"

Shiro activated his Galra arm as the one with the weird tail on the top of her head rushed him.

Matt was kicked by the huge Galra who grinned as she cracked her knuckles. Maya drew her swords and lashed out at the big female who proved to be more agile on her feet than she appeared to be. She crouched down as she grinned, "I'm going to enjoying crushing you two like bugs."

Matt aimed his staff at her, but she jumped back quickly. Maya swung one of her swords, but the female somehow managed to dodge again.

The oldest of the Holts got a hit on her as Pidge raced past for the cockpit.

Maya spread her feet in the classic swordsmen's stance and hit her adversary a glancing blow off her armor. She growled, this wasn't getting her anywhere, she thought as she sheathed the swords.

The ship took a nose dive as everyone went into zero-g freefall. Matt jumped on the big one and held onto her as Maya kicked off from the side of the punched the Galra in the face, but the Galra reached out and gripped her hands around the Zenoxian's throat and squeezed.

Maya glanced a blow off the woman's face. She barely heard Lance, "Shiro, Pidge the sky is clear of all Galra. What's your status?"

Pidge replied, "Shuttle is not clear yet!"

Matt got his hands back onto his staff and swung it as the former protector saw black dots in her vision from oxygen deprivation, he hit the massive Galra hard enough in her face to loosen her grip from the Zenoxian's throat. Maya drew her hands up and smacked her ears hard, as she floated away, she was hit by the Galra Pidge had been fighting and sent flying down toward Shiro.

Maya barely heard Sam yell, "hang on," as the shuttle climbed. She managed to grab onto a part of the bulkhead as she coughed and sucked in the air for her oxygen-starved lungs.

The rear hatch opened as an alarm sounded. She guessed the three Galra were now on their way to the planet's surface, which suited her to no end. The door in the rear closed and the shuttle evened out. Maya sat on the deck as Shiro stepped up next to her while Matt and Pidge hugged their father.

She couldn't wipe the stupid smile that tugged at her lips off her face as Shiro said softly. "Shuttle is clear."

She heard Lance, "Nice job, team."

"Where are Lotor and Zarkon?" Shiro asked.

"Still on the planet's surface," Allura remarked.

"We won't get a better time to take Zarkon out," Shiro said.

Would wonders never cease Maya thought as Lotor killed Zarkon as the tyrant prepared to use the black bayard against the Paladins. She shook her head as she moved to one of the seats. She coughed again. Opened her mouth to try to speak but managed to get out only a croak.

She'd live but the best thing was Matt and Pidge had their father back. That was the most important thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Postmortem and Kral Zera.

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. The only characters I own are Maya the Zenoxian and Nimel the Freedom Fighter.

 **And thanks go to Puff the Ninja for allowing me to bounce some ideas her way. Reviews are always welcome.**

* * *

Maya took up her former position as Princess Allura's protector. She didn't like the idea of Lotor being on the Castle of Lions. She hated it and had said so before only to be called out by Shiro. She grimaced as she fought her internal confusion over the Black Paladin. He seemed to be changing and not in a good way.

She glared at Zarkon's son. She'd be happy to leave him sitting here on Olkarion, but for some reason, Allura had called for a meeting. Oh, how she wanted to kick the Galran seated on the bridge. She turned her head away for a moment and squeezed her hands up into fists.

The white-haired Altean Princess crossed her arms over her body, "They should be here any minute."

Lotor kept his eyes down to the deck, his skin a lighter purple than most Galra and without all the odd markings. "Good. There is much to discuss," his deep but musical voice floated through the air.

Why were people taken in by him? Maya thought. He's of the same blood as his father, and that blood was tainted with evil.

Allura gazed down at him, "Are you alright?" she asked gently, thinking the man was in mourning even though he'd taken his father's life.

Lotor looked up with an expression almost saying, 'Why do you care?' on his face but what came out was quiet, "I'll be fine."

Maya couldn't stop the hatred that twisted her face. Why hadn't both father and son killed each other in their fight, she thought. Then the Galra Empire would crumble to dust.

Allura's response was gentle and almost held respect, "What you did was for the greater good. And for many of us proof of your intentions for peace." A soft smile tugged at her lips.

The main door to the bridge opened, and Maya almost chuckled at Lance as he cringed but overcame his instinctive reaction. "Look it's Prince Lotor, just hanging out on the bridge."

"Guess this is a thing that's happening," Pidge added.

Coran pulled at his mustache, "I suppose we'll have to get used to it… like my Zabloovian intestinal eel." He released the mustache to pat his abdomen as a muffled squeal came from his body.

Shiro stepped around Coran and walked onto the bridge. "What's going on, Lotor."

Lotor stood as he faced team Voltron, "The death of my father has created a power vacuum within the Galra Empire. The most formidable Galra leaders will gather for what is called the Kral Zera sometime in the next few quintants to decide who will take the throne. We must be there."

Maya ground her teeth together as the muscles of her jaws bulged. So this was his plan, she thought, lure Voltron into the hands of the Galra.

She wanted to applaud Lance as he said, "So you want us to fly you into the middle of a meeting with all of the most powerful Galra leaders?" His voice rose to a higher octave.

Allura gazed at Zarkon's son, "Lotor, we appreciate all that you've sacrificed, but this sounds far too dangerous."

Shiro stared at Allura and Lotor, "We've been in more dangerous situations with much less to gain. Putting Lotor on the Galra throne is what we've been discussing."

"Yeah," Pidge agreed, "but no one told us that would mean flying into a war zone."

Allura's shoulders tensed as she licked her lips, "We can't plan an operation this important so quickly."

Maya spoke up for the first time since this meeting started, "I agree with Allura."

Shiro shot her a withering glance before his eyes focused on Allura again, "We don't have a choice."

Lance joined the conversation, "I'm with Allura. We need time to mull this over."

Shiro glared at the Red Paladin as his eyes narrowed, "Lance, this is not your call." He turned his attention back to the Princess, "Allura, the Coalition wouldn't be where it is right now without Lotor. We need to listen to him."

Pidge added her vote to the conversation wanted or not, "Well, I'm with Allura too. This is too dangerous to pull off at the last minute."

Coran glanced at everyone and rocked back onto his heels, "Agreed. So it looks like it's five-to-two, in the Princess's favor."

"Look this isn't a vote. I'm the leader of Voltron. I'm making the decision." His lips pressed together forming a white line.

Allura leaned toward Shiro, as she silently wished she could be somewhere else. Her nostrils flared as she glared at him, "Like when armed Lotor with your bayard without consulting the rest of us?"

Shiro stood his ground and glared back at her, "That's right. Making that decision resulted in the removal of Zarkon."

Allura's face twisted in anger as she raised a fist toward him. "You put the entire operation in jeopardy."

Shiro's voice rose loudly with anger matching hers. "I put an end to Zarkon's reign. Now is the time to finish the job."

Lance's expression looked pensive as he stepped up to place himself between Allura and Shiro. He held out his hands in a placating gesture, "Shiro, we're on the same side here."

Shiro turned and practically snarled in Lance's face, "I told you to stay out of this!"

As Lotor winced, his expression turned to one of stone, "While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the Galra power void. If I do not return to claim the throne, there is no telling who will."

Shiro nodded, "Good. It's settled."

Pidged glanced around as her face lit in confusion, "How is that settled?"

Shiro looked around at everyone, "Our hands are tied. The Kral Zera is happening. If we want to stop the Galra, we need to put Lotor on the throne immediately."

Pidge shook her head as arguing broke out again. She took the few steps to cross the bridge over to Maya. "My dad and Matt need to see you in the infirmary." Pidge struggled to hide the smile on her face as she turned to Coran, "They'd like you to attend as well."

"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting," Coran said as he bowed to the pair with a flourish indicating they should go before him.

* * *

As the trio stepped into the Castle of Lion's infirmary, Maya's eyes lit up as she gasped then ran and jumped into her father's arms. "I was so worried."

"I told you I'd return," he grinned as his deep voice rumbled out of his chest and he hugged her close.

Sam cleared his throat gaining Maya's attention. He directed his comments to her, "We've discovered that it might be possible to give you back the ability to mature to your full potential."

"Really?" she asked as she looked around her at their faces.

"Yes, daughter," Ozar said. "Commander Holt has explained the entire procedure to me."

Sam nodded as he approached the pair. "Now, it's a fact that Lieutenant Ozar will experience some pain, but on the Earth, the recipient of the stem cell transplant usually do experience side effects. I will give Coran a list of them, but we will also use a cryopod in conjunction with the transplant. It should speed up the growth rate of restoring the organ. The best I can hope for is one hundred percent, but I'll take fifty percent."

"Why are you willing to do this for me? You don't know me?"

Sam smiled softly as he gazed on the blue-skinned Zenoxian's face. "Because you risked yourself to help reunite me with my children, and after they explained your situation to me, well I had to help." He indicated the two stretchers below the cryopods. "If you want to try, we're all set up."

Maya gazed at her father's face. He gave her a slight smile. She looked at Sam Holt's bearded yet friendly face. To be whole again, she thought. Did she want to do this? That answer was simple, "Yes, I'll do it."

* * *

Coran prepared the cryopod as Sam donned a mask. "Okay, I'll need to draw the stem cells from the rear of the pelvis. He pulled out a long wide bore needle tipped syringe. He turned his gaze onto Matt. "Is he ready?" he indicated Ozar.

"Yeah, he's asleep now."

Coran gazed at the needle Sam held and shuddered. "I just want you to know this is barbaric."

"Noted, but this is the way its done on Earth," Sam inserted the needle into Ozar's exposed skin until the pressure of the bone diminished as the needle punched through to the inside of the bone. He withdrew the plunger and pulled out a thick mass of both blood and cells.

Coran who'd seen a lot in his deca-phoebs of life turned his face away as he turned green. His stomach wanted to rebel, but he swallowed a couple of deep breaths keeping control.

Sam repeated the process four more times which took about a varga or an Earth hour. He transferred the cells and blood to an IV bag. He gazed at his son who hovered over Maya. "Are we ready, son?"

Matt looked over at his dad, "We're ready."

Sam carried the bag over and hung it on the Olkari made IV pole. He connected it to the IV line his son had inserted into Maya's arm. Sam adjusted the drip. "This will take a varga possibly two. You might feel some pain from the transfusion, but you're doing fine," his voice was muffled behind the mask.

"Is my father okay?" Maya's brow wrinkled as her eyebrows drew together.

Sam gazed over to Matt who monitored Lieutenant Ozar. He saw his son's slight nod.

"He's fine, now you relax and try not to worry so much."

* * *

Lance had talked to Pidge and found out something was going on down in the infirmary and of course, his curiosity got the better of him. He also wanted to compare notes with Maya about Shiro's behavior. He couldn't help feeling something was off about the Black Paladin. As he neared the door, he saw Nimel standing there. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Lance."

"I was looking for Maya and Pidge said she was down here."

Nimel nodded, "She is, but I have strict orders to keep everyone out."

Now his interest was piqued. He stepped back a step, but every scenario he thought up to get past her he mentally crossed it off his list. He lifted his head and gazed into her purple eyes, "You know, you have beautiful eyes."

She held a hand up, "It's not going to work. You're not getting past me."

He flashed his best smile, "I'm not lying you do have beautiful eyes. So, how about we go down to the kitchen and get some dinner."

She shook her head, "Stop trying and save your lines for Allura."

"Come on Nimel, let me in to see her."

"I can't let you in until Commander Holt says it's safe to do so," Nimel replied.

"Commander Holt, huh… I thought he was on Olkarion."

Nimel nodded, "He was, but he returned to see both Maya and Pidge. Now do me a favor and go somewhere else."

* * *

Sam transferred all the information he had on Lieutenant Ozar to Coran's medical scanner. He ran the scan on Ozar and pointed out the organ to the ginger-haired Altean.

He glanced over at the cryopod. "She should be ready to come out in three quintants." He glanced at the device which Pidge had copied information for him onto from the Castle of Lions. "I have to go. I promised Pidge to check in with her on some of her projects. Lieutenant Ozar should wake up within the next varga. If you have to leave for any reason get Nimel to keep watch. She knows what to look for."

"Thank you," Coran replied. "I certainly hope for the best for Maya. She deserves something good to come out of it."

* * *

Lieutenant Ozar woke a varga later. "Ugh…" he groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Not yet," Nimel said as she passed him a pouch of water. "Commander Holt though you might be thirsty."

Ozar chuckled, "He was right," he sipped at the water. "How's Maya?" he asked.

Nimel pointed to the Cryopod. "She's doing good."

"How long will she be in there?"

"Commander Holt estimates three quintants."

Lieutenant Ozar gazed at the cryopod again. "I just hope when she wakes she will be whole again."

Nimel nodded.

The Castle of Lions rocked. Nimel moved over to the cryopod checking to make sure everything was okay. Lieutenant Ozar jumped off the stretcher but groaned at the pain of the donation of stem cells.

Nimel turned to Ozar, but he held his hand up to stop her. "A little pain is worth it for Maya." He stepped behind another pod and quickly dressed.

"What are you going to do?"

Ozar pulled his cap down over his hair. I'm going to Olkarion to help in any way that I can. Keep my girl safe."

Nimel nodded, "Of course."

* * *

"Lieutenant Ozar made a wrong turn and somehow found the hangar for the Green Lion. He found Pidge talking to Commander Holt and his son. "I developed a cloaking device by reverse engineering the technology from the invisible maze in the Castle and integrating it with the lion's shield system."

Commander Holt stared at the Green Lion his eyes filled with awe. "It's just amazing. All this technology… it used to exist only in my dreams. I can't wait to tell our mother all about this. Wait till she sees you two. So grown up."

Pidge and Matt gazed at each other and looked back at their father. "Well the thing is, between the rebels and Voltron, Matt and I have a lot of work to do before we can go back home."

Matt took up where Pidge left off, "Right. We need to stay until the Galra are defeated, and we can rest assured Earth will always be safe."

Lieutenant Ozar couldn't agree more. His children were always in his thoughts as the skin bunched around his eyes as he sighed hoping he'd find them all.

Sam's eyes widened as his shock was palpable, "What?"

Pidge's amber eyes grew large as she frowned, "We can't go back with you dad."

* * *

Matt and Sam with Ozar following ran onto the bridge. He didn't know if they were aware of his presence.

Matt on the run asked, "What's happening out there," as he and Sam stopped behind Coran.

The ginger-haired Altean eyes narrowed as he uttered, "The forest appears to have come alive and is attacking the city."

"Where are the lions?" Sam asked.

"I've already sent them to assist Shiro. "He's battling something in the forest."

Pidge's voice came over the communications of the Castle of Lions, "Coran, have my dad and brother analyze the data I'm sending."

Coran replied, "On it."

* * *

Nimel heard the pod click and rushed over as Maya muttered something in her sleep and grunted. "What's going on?" she asked herself as Maya jerked.

* * *

Something terrible was going on in the forest and the city, Lieutenant Ozar saw the vines beginning to encompass the capital. He tapped his fingers against his thigh as he clenched his jaw together. He took a deep breath as his mind ran over all possibilities of what he and his people could do. His head jerked up as he heard the Green Paladin again, "Matt! Dad! These vines…"

"They're like a computer virus. From the data, you sent it appears the plasma substance is self-replicating organic wetware. Which creates a single expanding system, giving it the ability to interface with nature the way the Olkari do."

Pidge simplified Matt's explanation, "It's like a computer, and a virus rolled into one."

An alarm blared.

Coran excited utterance didn't give Lieutenant Ozar much hope. "Quiznak! Now Voltron is offline."

"If the plasma mass has the properties of a computer, there must be some way to hack into it and shut it down," Sam replied as Matt and Coran both turned to Sam, "Conceivably. If we could figure out how to interface it." Sam nodded to himself as if an idea had come to mind.

* * *

Lieutenant Ozar with Matt and Sam ran into Ryner's central control of the Olkari Capital.

She turned to the Holts, "I'm trying to interface with the vines to stop their growth, but I can't communicate with the nano-cellulose."

Matt gazed at her, "We don't need to stop it. We need to reroute it."

Ryner said with great urgency, "Grab a headpiece, show me."

Both Matt and Sam picked up the round shaped bands placing them on their heads. They began to glow as Matt said to his dad, "All right. Follow my lead," as both he and Sam placed their hands on the vides and concentrated with their minds. Lieutenant Ozar gazed at them when he decided he knew what he could do to help.

* * *

Ozar gathered his people and had them take up defensive positions around the main street. He saw the corrupted tree mech baring down on the Olkari city. His team opened fire trying to slow the beast down.

Voltron reached it and shoved it out of the city, and after a few terrifying moments for everyone in the city, Voltron destroyed it.

* * *

The Castle of Lions stayed on the Olkari Homeworld for a total of three quintants while the Paladins helped with the cleanup of all the corrupted vines. Coran was helping oversee repairs with Ryner while Nimel waited in the infirmary.

The door to the cryopod vanished. Nimel caught Maya as she fell out and helped her over to the stretcher. "How do you feel?" she asked as she helped the Zenoxian lay down on the bed.

"Good," Maya replied as Nimel picked up the medical scanner.

"Coran and Sam showed me what I need to look for." Nimel turned on the scanner, and it hummed as she held it near Maya's abdominal area, and she smiled. "The organ has grown back. It's not one hundred percent like Sam wanted, but it's close to 75 percent."

She noticed Maya's eyes drooping, but a smile tugged at the Zenoxian's mouth. She pulled a blanket up over the other girl, so she could warm up and then clapped her on the shoulder, "Rest, I'll go down to the kitchen and see if Hunk left anything."

Maya's eyes slid closed as she mumbled, "Okay."

* * *

She heard a voice call out her name. Her eyes opened, and she tried to focus on the figure that stood there in black and white armor. "Maya," the image said as the figure seemed to move instantly to her side and found him staring down on her. The familiar white bangs were hanging over his face. His expression was soft and gentle. "I don't have time," his voice was just as soft. "Be careful," and he vanished as Nimel returned.

Maya couldn't hide her eyes that glowed as Nimel handed her the plate and she dug into the plate of leftovers. She scratched at her temple, and her stomach fluttered as she wondered what had happened before the freedom fighter hand returned to the infirmary. It was Shiro who had appeared, but not the distant Shiro. This was the Shiro who'd brought her back from the planet with him and Keith.

* * *

Maya and Nimel rejoined the others as Lotor said, "I'm telling you, Branko's wanton attack was only the beginning. Without an emperor, more and more high-ranking officials will start consolidating their power at the Kral Zera."

Hunk spoke up, "Uh, just gonna jump in here. What exactly is the Kral Zera? Is there food there? It sounds awful fancy."

"It's the coronation ceremony for a new emperor or empress. It is held on one of the first planets we, the Galra, conquered. Planet Freyin, a sacred land." Lotor replied to Hunk's question.

Shiro said as he folded his arms across his chest, "Okay, so who will be at this Kral Zera?"

Maya couldn't help but stare at him.

Lotor said, "Allow me to show you. May I, Princess?" he asked as he indicated Coran's station.

Allura sighed, "Go ahead."

Lotor brought up images onto the main screen. "Warlord Ranveig is one of the fiercest Galra in the empire. That's why my father sent him to the fringes of the universe. He will already have several factions pledging their allegiance."

"Warlord, huh?"

Maya felt the heat of anger as her eyes narrowed. It was one of this monsters' generals who conquered her planet. Maya focused on the rest of Lance's statement and then she turned to him, "No, Lance, you don't get that title by being nice." She knew firsthand.

Lotor continued, "Commander Gnov was one of Zarkon's most trusted advisors. She will be unifying Zarkon's inner circle of commanders. They know what they'll get with her. She's not as reckless as Warlord Ranveig, but she's just as cruel.

"Quartermaster Janka. He is responsible for overseeing supply routes throughout the empire. Don't let his stature fool you. His power is bureaucracy, and he should not be underestimated."

Pidge said, "He keeps popping up in my database. His supply chain management is incredible. He color codes."

Hunk glanced over at the Green Paladin, "So organized evil. Okay."

Lotor pressed a button bringing up another picture. One that caused Maya to take several steps back. Nimel grabbed her by the hand and held on offering her strength as Lotor spoke, "And finally, Zarkon's witch Haggar."

Shiro's voice dropped, "We've met."

Maya couldn't look at the image anymore as she trembled.

Lotor said, "She's the most dangerous of them all. Because she's not Galra, and therefore not eligible to rule, she probably has a puppet already. Someone she can control and manipulate. If the Galra were smart, they'd be working together against her. If Haggar's puppet takes over then stopping Zarkon's reign will all have been for naught."

Shiro stared at Lotor, "Then we can't risk any of them assuming control." He turned to the others. "We should help Lotor take command of the Galra Empire."

Allura sighed, she couldn't help but feel like there was no use to arguing but she had to try to make him see her point of view. "Shiro, we've already discussed this. It's far too risky."

Lance couldn't stop himself, "Yeah, why don't we let them fight amongst themselves a while before we do anything?"

Shiro craned his head over to Lance, "You know what we went through on Olkarion, that was just one rogue commander vying for the throne. When the Galra lashes out, everyone in the universe suffers."

Pidge looked up at Shiro, "How would we even get Lotor there without stirring up a huge fight?"

Lotor turned and dropped his bomb on everyone, "I'll be bringing Voltron."

Hunk's eyes narrowed as shock registered on most everyone's faces. "Yeah because Voltron never gets into fights."

Maya gazed at Hunk, was that a hint of sarcasm in his voice?

Allura stared at the Black Paladin, "Shiro we can't allow that to happen."

Shiro glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry to hear that." He turned and stalked off the bridge.

Hunk with his hands on his hips said, "Uh, what up with Shiro?"

Maya frowned as she rubbed at her temple. What was up with Shiro, she thought. He wasn't acting like usual. She shook her head.

* * *

Pidge's face appeared on the bridge viewscreen. "Hey, Princess, do you know where Shiro is?"

Allura brought up her holographic monitor so she could run a check of the Castle. "Let me check," as she ran a scan, the instrument beeped back at her. "He isn't on the ship. His lion's gone too." Her expression hardened as her stomach dropped. "Where's Lotor?"

* * *

Pressure on Maya's temples caused her to gasp in pain as she reached up to massage the area. She focused on the sender of the emotion, "Keith!" she uttered.

Coran and Nimel were both by her side, "What is it?" the Altean asked.

"Keith, Lotor, and Shiro are all at the Kral Zera!" Her eyes widened as she reached out. "Lotor and Keith are fighting a Galra," she focused again and heard one of them call the Galra by name. "Sendak."

Lance jumped up, "What is Keith doing there?" he asked first. Then he shouted, "But Shiro got rid of him!"

Allura's resolve hardened, "Let's go."

When the lions broke through the Castle of Lion's Coran's mouth gaped open. "It's a Galra Civil War."

The pain in Maya's head released as Nimel assisted in helping her keep her on her feet. "And thanks to Lotor, Voltron is now in the thick of it," she heard Coran mutter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Bloodlines and White Lion

 **Last chapter for Season 5. I hope everyone enjoys this. I know it's taken time for me to get back to this, but that's because I wanted to finish out the entire story for all the seasons before doing my story for in-between Season 7 and Season 8. As usual, I do not own Voltron Legendary Defender. Just taking the characters out for a spin.**

* * *

As the Castle of Lions hurtled through space, Shiro smiled sadly, "We're going to miss you, sir." Everyone stood near one of the Altean Shuttle Pods.

Sam Holt blushed slightly, "Ah, you guys seem to be fine without me. Your mission is here. Mine is on Earth. As soon as I get back, I'll inform the Galaxy Garrison what's going on and start working to upgrade our planetary defenses."

Shiro flexed his Galra hand as he chuckled almost wickedly. "Tell Iverson, the next time I see him, I'm going to kick his butt for strapping me to that table."

Sam chuckled in reply, "I'll be sure to tell him that."

Hunk approached Sam almost timidly not sure how to talk to the Garrison Commander but also the father of his friend. "Hey, I had everyone record some messages for our families. Uh a little heads up, I got teary in mine, so… that's Mom's eyes only." He passed the device over to Sam.

The older man took it, "Of course."

Hunk slid over to Lance, "You don't want to see Lance's either since it's probably a love message to Jenny Shayborn or the other Jenny, "What was her name again?"

Maya quietly chuckled at the pair of Paladins.

Lance glared at Hunk, "Shut up, Hunk!"

Hunk's face fell, "Okay, I was just joking around, Jeez." He paused as he stared at Lance, "Hey are you okay dude?" Concern for his friend colored his voice.

"I'm fine. It's just… Once I started thinking about going back to earth I…" his blue eyes started misting over with unshed tears. "I started missing my mom, my brothers Marco and Luis, my big sister Veronica, and my grandma and…" he wiped an arm over his as he sniffed.

Hunk frowned as he leaned forward toward his friend, "Um, are you crying?"

"No," Lance sniffed. "No, I just…," he sighed. "I just got space dust in my eyes. It's very dusty in here."

Maya felt Lance's sadness and turned away as she wiped a tear from her eye. She turned her head back as she heard Sam speaking again, but this time to his children.

"I guess this is it."

Matt winced as he rubbed a hand against his chest, "I wish I could go with you. I'd love to help build Earth's first galactic defense system."

"I'm worried we won't have enough time and resources to make a dent before we need it."

Pidge smiled up at her dad, "A wise man once told me, 'If you get worried about what could go wrong, you might miss your chance to do something great.'"

Sam chuckled at his words returned by his daughter, "Sounds like a wise man indeed." He turned to his oldest child, "Matt, you be careful on the front lines. Pidge, keep an eye on your brother for me."

"You got it, Dad."

Maya found it a bit amusing that the youngest child was asked to keep an eye on the oldest. But she had to admit that Pidge did seem more grown-up than her brother.

Sam whimpered as his bottom lip quivered and he grabbed them both. "I love you both so much."

Pidge and Matt returned the hug, as she replied, "We love you too dad."

Maya wiped at her eyes. This parting was especially emotional for all the Paladins and the Alteans. She caught a glimpse of Nimel rubbing her eyes too.

* * *

As the Castle of Lions entered Galra command Lance's voice held disbelief, "I can't believe we're flying into the belly of the beast."

Hunk stared at the Galra command ship, "It's strange to think the last time we were here, we were fighting the Galra. Now we're working with them."

Allura added, "We have to do everything we can to support Lotor. This is our chance to promote a new era of peace."

The castle docked with central command.

Maya and Nimel joined the others, but the Zenoxian wasn't comfortable here.

Lotor smiled as his voice seemed to drip with honey, "Thank you for coming my friends. I have prepared a new imperial banner to herald our alliance. This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original Paladins of Voltron. I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age. Since I ascended to the throne, the Galra Empire has been torn apart. A sizeable portion has sworn its allegiance to me. However, massive factions remain in revolt."

Hunk spoke up, "Uh, okay, the Galra aren't exactly known to turn the other cheek."

Lance added, "They're more likely to swing the other fist."

Shiro asked, "How do you get an Empire that's only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?"

Lotor smiled, "By providing them with the very thing they're fighting for. Quintessence. Unlimited amounts of it. And, Allura you are the key to getting to it." He turned to everyone else. "I'm you'll be interested in inspecting every aspect of the Galra headquarters."

Shiro replied, "I'd like to cross-reference our star charts with current Galra troop locations."

Lotor replied, "Consider it done."

Maya motioned to Nimel and whispered, "Go with him, let me know what he's up to."

Nimel nodded imperceptibly. They both had a suspicion that something was wrong with Shiro.

Coran stared at the Black Paladin as if he'd grown a second head, "You want to sync our intelligence to the Galra headquarters? Oh, I never thought I'd see the quiznacking quintant."

Lotor turned to one of the sentries. "Sentry take them to the record room. You will find everything you need there." He turned to the others, "I'm leaving you a personal escort that will take you wherever you'd like to go. Come, Princess. There is much work to be done."

Maya and Lance tried to follow, but the sentry stopped them. Hunk asked the sentry, "So we're free to roam around Galra HQ and have some fun?"

The sentry asked in its robotic voice, "What is fun?"

Lance stared at the robot, "You're about to find out."

Pidge stared at the Red Paladin, "Lance, it's a robot. It can't have fun. Unless," her voice rose in excitement, "I reprogram it."

Hunk cried, "Take us to the sentry repair center!"

Maya mumbled, "Why does this feel like a bad idea."

Lance poked her in the side with an elbow, "Come on Maya, live a little."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

The deactivated sentry lay on a table as Pidge reinserted a piece of its hardware. "Reconfigured processor inserted."

Hunk glanced down, "Check."

"All rewired for optimal performance."

Hunk replied, "Checkity-check."

Pidge closed it up, "Now uploading the new program, and… All right, I'm finished."

Hunk and Pidge high fived each other, "Yeah! Team Punk does it again."

Lance tossed a piece of a spare sentry part in the air and caught it, "How do we know if it worked?"

The sentry began making odd noises as it started up. It rose up quickly as Hunk and Lance jumped back a step and Pidge fell onto the floor.

The sentry looked around, "You dum-dums got any non-lethal semi-combustible diversionary devices?"

"What?" Lance asked.

Pidge rose from the floor, "I think he's… looking for firecrackers!"

Hunk smiled a grin on his face, "Oh. It worked."

* * *

Maya hid behind a cabinet as everyone else peeked over the edge of a counter as an explosive device went off blowing up two packages of Galra food goo.

Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and the sentry stood up cheering and yelling, "Awesome!"

The sentry said, "That was sweet."

Hunk cried, "Amazer-beams!"

The sentry replied, "What next?"

Lance gripped another explosive, "Hunk hand me another packet of food goo."

As Hunk picked it up from their giant pile of ammo two living Galra soldiers entered the room. One was tall and skinny while the other was short and round. They both yelled, Halt!"

Maya joined the others as they raced out of the room.

* * *

Maya glanced around not comfortable about this. They were in what used to be Zarkon's throne room but was now Lotor's throne room. She shook her head as the Paladins took pictures of themselves and the reprogrammed sentry in various poses on the throne.

Maybe it was fate when the two Galra showed up again yelling, "Halt!"

The reprogrammed sentry yelled, "Scram," and in a flash, it was gone.

The others ran off after it as the two Galra gave chase.

* * *

Hunk holding the arm of a scrapped sentry as a golf club fired off another piece of scrap onto the landing bay for Galra fighters. A door slid open, and the two Galra soldiers showed up. One of them yelled, "Hey!"

The Paladins, Maya, and the reprogrammed sentry ran.

* * *

As the pair of Galra soldiers looked for the group of Paladin miscreants, Pidge and Hunk attacked them from behind.

They tied the two captured Galra soldiers to two motorized dollies. Lance and the reprogrammed sentry both climbed on top of the dollies and aimed them for each other. They picked up speed as Lance yelled, "Ramming speed!"

Maya shook her head as she winced as they crashed together. When would Lance learn flesh can't hurt metal? She thought as Pidge and Hunk seemed to say the last rites over their fallen comrade.

Maya winced as she caught of vision of Keith in her mind. "What are you doing?" she murmured.

Hunk and Pidge got Lance back on his feet, and they went down to the Mess area for Galra HQ. Hunk made them some food goo popsicles. The reprogrammed sentry handed out some Galra sentry head necklaces it had created.

Maya rolled her eyes as Lance said, "So worth it." She couldn't tell if it was worth all the bruises the Cuban sported for their jousting escapade.

Her pain increased causing her to focus her mind and saw Keith with a Galra female.

* * *

Hunk looked out of the control room and stared at the reprogrammed sentry they'd tied to a Robeast Coffin. "Are you sure about this?"

"We've been over this already. Let's light this candle."

Hunk asked the others nervously, "Do you think Lotor would mind us firing the Robeast Coffin?"

Pidge with her mouth full of popsicle mumbled, "I don't know."

Maya glared at her, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Pidge rolled her eyes at the Zenoxian.

The reprogrammed sentry almost whined, "Come on, I've always wanted to see the stars."

Lance replied, "And now you will," as he slapped the launch button.

The reprogrammed sentry yelled, "Later Pala-dudes… Whee!"

The Paladins, Maya, and the two Galra ran to an observation window. Pidge stared at the rainbow of colors that came from the Robeast Coffin as it flew out into space, "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Lance said, "He's my hero."

Hunk saluted with every else except for Maya who crossed her arms over her chest. "If anyone asks, remember I protested the entire thing."

Pidge gazed up at her, "You know ever since you got that stem cell transplant you've been a wet blanket."

Lance and Hunk couldn't help but overhear what the Green Paladin said. Lance blinked at her, "Maya? You're not sick, are you?"

Pidge kicked Lance in the shin.

"Ow!" he yelled as he glared at the smallest Paladin.

Pidge glared back. "No, she's not sick. My dad found a way to grow the organ back that will let her mature." She gazed at her extra food goo popsicle and held it up as a peace offering to Maya.

The Zenoxian waved it off. "I can't. Stuff made out of food goo tastes weird to me now."

Pidge frowned. This sounded like a side effect to her. She grabbed Maya by the wrist and pulled her over to the two Galra soldiers.

"Pidge what's going on?" the Zenoxian asked.

The Green Paladin shushed her. She turned back to the two Galra. "We need to find Coran. He's with the Black Paladin."

The taller of the two said, "Follow me, I'll take you there." He wagged a finger in Pidge's face, "But no more funny business."

"I promise, this is important."

* * *

The Green Paladin still dragging Maya behind her ran into the records room. "Coran, do you have that list of side effects my dad gave you."

Coran thought for a moment and then dug into a breast pocket of his Altean uniform and pulled out a small tablet, "Here it is." He passed the device to the smallest Paladin.

Pidge brought up the list as Shiro stared at the pair, a frown crossed his face. "Was this necessary?"

"I can't go into details, but it's important." She tapped the device sending a copy to her wrist gauntlet. "Thanks, Coran," she passed the device back and yanked Maya behind her again.

Shiro scratched the back of his head. "What was that about?"

Maya heard Coran say something about young exuberance.

* * *

As the Castle of Lions hurtled through space, Pidge looked at the artifact. "So, this magic rock is gonna guide us to a mysterious planet?"

Lotor replied, "A land known as Oriande."

Coran chuckled, "I'm afraid someone's been ruggling your wimble, Prince Lotor. Oriande is just an Altean folktale. It doesn't exist."

Allura smiled softly at Coran, "That's what I thought, Coran but now I have a feeling it is real."

Lotor replied, "It is the birthplace of all Altean alchemy. The place where King Alfor learned the secrets that helped him create Voltron and where Allura will master those same secrets so that my ships may enter the quintessence field."

Lance stared at Lotor, "And what makes you the authority on crazy Altean nonsense? Coran knows more magic made-up gobbledygook that anyone I've ever met."

Maya rolled her eyes as Nimel facepalmed at Lance's statement. He was almost challenging Lotor to prove his statement.

Coran turned to Lance, "Thank you, Lance." He turned back to Lotor and Allura. "And I can assure you, King Alfor never mentioned anything to me about traveling to Oriande."

Lotor frowned, "In all likelihood, he kept it a secret from everyone. I have been researching Oriande for centuries, hoping to learn more about my Altean ancestry. Over time, I've managed to gather evidence from all over the universe that hinted at its existence. Now, thanks to Princess Allura, I will finally gaze upon its magnificence with my own eyes."

Hunk fidgeted, "Uh, aren't you a little busy running your empire to take a magical vacation?"

It was Maya's turn to facepalm as Pidge sighed.

Lotor replied, "To transition the Galra Empire to a peaceful existence, I need to open up a pathway to the quintessence field. Once my people have access to unlimited energy, the old ways of the Empire will be behind them."

Allura smiled, "If this voyage is successful, the universe will finally be on the path to peace."

Shiro added, "Well, let's find out where we're going."

Allura brought up the star map. She activated the stone and Oriande appeared. "There, between those three celestial bodies. That's where we're headed."

Coran studied the map, "Wait a tick, that's the Patrulian zone."

Lance stared at the mustachioed man, "The what now?"

"The Patrulian zone is a mysterious part of space where ships enter and are never heard from again. Princess, that area has been deemed unsafe to navigate for ages."

Lotor added, "The perfect place to hide a magical world."

Pidge glanced around, "Or to crash and die."

Allura said, "We will approach with caution. Prepare our course, Coran."

The ginger-haired Altean spoke with defeat in his voice and possibly a touch of trepidation, "Yes, Princess."

* * *

The Castle of Lions erupted out of the wormhole. Coran stared at the screen, "We're approaching the Patrulian zone."

Shiro gazed at the screen, "What's that up ahead? An asteroid belt?"

Coran's reply didn't bode confidence for this mission. "No. It's a graveyard."

Hunk's anxiety made itself known, "What caused them all to lose power?"

"No one knows," Coran almost whispered.

Lance's eyes locked onto the bright white light in the distance, "Is that some supermassive star?"

Pidge's eyes grew as she stared at the readings coming over her screen, "No. Unbelievable! It's a white hole!"

Hunk grinned as he thrust a fist into the air, "Whoa! Take that theoretical physics!"

Lance glanced between Hunk and Pidge hoping for an explanation, but one wasn't forthcoming. "Wait, what's a white hole?"

Pidge easily slipped into lecture mode, "Well, unlike a black hole, which has massive gravity that sucks everything in, a white hole is an opposite body that shoots massive amounts of energy out from an unknown source."

Maya wasn't about to question Pidge about her information even if she didn't understand one word of what was said.

Hunk scanned his readouts, "It's blasting this whole area with crazy high radiation."

Shiro frowned, "The energy must've fried those ships systems."

Lotor seemed to lose focus as he spoke, "The wise stand back from the fire, fools are burned on the pyre. The mystic becomes one with the flame the embers, and he is the same."

Lance gaped at Lotor as he scratched at the back of his head, but he was never one to hold back on what came to mind. "Is that like a song you're working on? 'Cause it sucks."

Lotor replied with a slight hint of amusement on his face, "It's a poem by an ancient Altean Alchemist. I discovered it carved next to a cave painting of a fiery sphere. I never realized until now that it describes the route to Oriande. We must go into the white hole."

Maya gaped at Lotor but glanced around at everyone else. She would never be able to give voice to what she felt but deep down her nerves thrummed. This didn't feel right.

Hunk rose from his seat, "Are you guys serious? We're navigating by cave poetry now?"

Pidge looked to Lotor, Shiro, Coran, and Allura. "How are we to go through the white hole? If we get any closer, we're gonna end up like those dead ships out there."

Allura's reply seemed logical, "We wormhole inside."

Coran turned sharply toward her, "Princess, no!"

Allura smiled softly to Coran, the man who she thought of as a second father. Of course, he would worry about her. "Voltron can withstand forces other ships cannot."

Shiro rose from his seat. "Are you sure?"

Allura stuck with her conviction, "If this is the home of Altean alchemy then Voltron will make it through."

Lance rose from his seat trying to make her listen to his worry not only for her but also for the others. "And what if it's another nuclear explosion in space? Then we're toast."

Coran glared at Lotor but turned his gaze back to Allura as he pleaded, "Princess, I think you've taken this quest far enough. Lotor is sending you to your doom."

Maya silently nodded. She wholeheartedly agreed with the royal advisor who Allura seemed to be ignoring.

Lotor replied, "Quite the opposite. It is a mission of life discovery."

Lance glared at Lotor anger evident on his face, "You need to zip it!"

Allura gazed at everyone but focused her attention on Lance, "Believe me, I would never ask any of you to do this if I didn't know… if I didn't feel in my heart that it is true. I belong here."

Pidge sighed, "This is as far as we can go. Any further and we'll be affected by the Patrulian zone's radiation."

* * *

Maya could only stand by Coran and Lotor as the Lions left the Castle and formed Voltron. She winced as pain emanated from the soles of her feet. She knew she needed to get off her feet, but her pain meant nothing. She had to be sure that the Paladins would be okay. They were her family, and if anything happened to her family, she was going to make sure that Lotor paid the price.

* * *

Everyone on the bridge heard the Paladins screams as Coran monitored their communications. Maya balled her hands into fists as both she and Coran glared daggers at Lotor, "What have you done?" he demanded but quickly recoiled. "Wait, what's happening to your face?"

Lotor turned to Coran, "What?"

"You have Altean marks. And they're glowing."

Lotor reached up to touch his cheeks, "The Mark of the Chosen."

"What?"

Lotor turned back to the screen so fast he should have had whiplash. "You need to get out of there. That thing is a guardian! It will only allow worthy Alteans through."

Maya couldn't help but release the sigh at Lance's sarcastic reply, "Oh, thanks for the tip!"

A beam shot out of the white hole and struck the Castle of Lions. Another blast hit Voltron in the back as it emerged from the white hole forcing the huge mech to split and the lions drifted into the graveyard, powerless. The Paladins had no choice but to evacuate from the Lions.

As they stepped onto the bridge, Coran reported, "I managed to restore auxiliary power, but it won't last long. If we don't get the Castle running within the next quintant, we'll be out of air."

Lance replied, "Maybe we can decrease our breathers by one."

Hunk stared at Lotor, "Uh, what's up with your face?"

Pidge added, "Yeah, and if this is the home of Altean alchemy, why can't Voltron get in?"

Lotor sighed, "I am sorry to put us in this position, but I think I know the answer. Look at Allura."

Everyone gasped. The marks on Allura's face glowed.

Pidge asked, "What's happening?"

Allura stepped up to Lotor, "You have them, too."

Lotor replied, "It's called the Mark of the Chosen. They are mentioned in some of Oriande's legends. They indicate those worthy of entering the realm."

Shiro gazed at Coran, "Wait, why aren't Coran's glowing?"

Lotor replied like a parent to a child, "There are different types of Alteans. Allura possesses a deep connection to ancient Altean energy. It enables her to operate the Teludav and change her shape and size. Her father had greater alchemic understanding than any before him. Others are less magical, no offense."

Coran glared at Lotor.

Hunk stated the obvious, "So what do we do now?"

"Allura and I need to enter the white hole alone," Lotor replied.

Lance yelled as the green-eyed monster raised its head, "What?"

Coran glowered at the Galran Emperor, "Absolutely not! What about the monster?"

Lotor replied, "The monster is a guard keeping the unworthy out. It won't hurt us."

Lance growled low in his throat as his anger rose, "Yeah, and before you thought it wasn't going to hurt us!"

Pidge jumped in to try to keep her fellow Paladin from doing something stupid, "How are you gonna get there? We're stuck."

"We can use the personal transport crafts."

Coran placed his hands on her shoulders, "Allura, please! It's too dangerous!"

Allura placed her hands on her friend's arms, "Coran, I must gain some alchemic knowledge in Oriande, both to save our own lives and bring peace to the universe."

Lance pleaded to the ginger-haired man, "Coran, don't tell me you're going to cave in on this!"

Shiro tried to calm the Red Paladin down, "Lance, she's right. The ship is stuck unless the princess can somehow get it restarted."

Allura pushed Coran's arms down and turned to everyone else. "Don't worry. This will work. I can feel it." She and Lotor walked off the bridge.

Several ticks passed when Lance asked, "Did they make it in?"

Coran replied worry evident in his voice, "I don't know. I can't get any readings beyond the edge of the white hole."

Shiro shrugged, "We'll just have to wait."

Maya glanced at the man from out of the corner of her eye. What is up with him, she thought. One minute he's ready to take off our heads, and now he's acting like this is no big deal?

Hunk looked around at everyone on the bridge, "While we're waiting, I need to see if I can do anything to help get the Castle up and running again." He turned to walk off the bridge.

Pidge called out from behind him, "I'll help."

* * *

Pidge lay on her back as she worked on the wiring from a control panel. She hoped they could sort of hotwire the ship to get it working again. "Anything?" she asked.

Hunk shook his head but realized she couldn't see it. "No."

Lance sat cross-legged on the floor while his right leg bounced in nervous agitation. "What's happening? What do you think they're doing now?"

Pidge asked, "Now?"

Lance replied, "Yes."

Coran said, "No."

Lance's head jerked up as he gazed toward Coran, "Wait, what?"

Pidge's voice came from behind him, "We're not talking to you, Lance. Is this doing anything?"

Lance went back to his own worrying, "Do you think she's all right? I mean will they be able to get back?"

Hunk replied, "I don't think so."

Lance gasped as his voice rose, "You don't!"

Pidge's frustration began to rise, "He's not talking to you."

Maya moved up to Lance and knelt beside him placing her hand on his shoulder, "Have some faith."

Lance looked up at her, "Easy for you to say."

Pidge said, "Coran, try to fire the charges."

Lance gazed past Maya, "It's nerve-wracking waiting for Allura to get back."

Coran replied to Pidge, "I'm afraid they're dead."

Lance's voice rose several octaves, "What?"

Pidge couldn't take it no more, "Shiro! Can you take Lance, please?"

* * *

Lance wandered out into the hallway with both Shiro and Maya following him. "It's okay, Shiro. I'll be quiet. You don't have to babysit me." He smacked his head into the wall.

Maya frowned, if he did this a lot, he could injure himself.

"Lance, let me ask you something. Do you remember on Olkarion, how you asked me about talking to you inside Voltron?"

The Red Paladin turned around, "Yeah."

"What happened there? I can't remember any of it."

Lance looked to Maya for a quick minute, "We were all in some mystical Voltron mind space, and you were yelling something, But I couldn't hear you. Are you okay?"

Shiro sighed, "I-I don't know. My head… I'm… I'm feeling confused. It's like…"

"What?"

"Like I'm not myself," Shiro replied.

As the right hand of Voltron Lance did take his job seriously. "It's probably a lack of oxygen. You should sit down. We'll get through this." Both he and Shiro sat down in the hallway as Maya tried arranging facts in her head.

But she needed evidence, and that's something she didn't truly have that this Shiro wasn't the real Shiro. But how to get the evidence? The question nagged at the back of her mind.

* * *

As everyone lay around the bridge, a computerized voice said, "Oxygen level five percent."

Pidge glanced around, "There must be some way for us… to harness the power of the white hole… and use it to get the ship working."

Hunk tried to move but couldn't, "We've tried everything… I don't think… I can keep moving."

Lance pointed at the main screen, "Guys, look it's Allu…" he managed to get out before his eyes closed.

* * *

Allura used the new alchemy that she learned to restore the Castle of Lions.

Maya was grateful she'd returned, and everyone survived.

Coran cried, "You did it!"

Lance gazed sheepishly at the Altean Princess, "We… We should have never doubted you."

Allura sort of deflected the attention by passing on some of the praise. "I couldn't have done it without Lotor."

Lotor smiled, "You are a true Altean alchemist. Oriande was for you, not for me."

Pidge gazed at Allura, "So what's the next step?"

Lance replied, "Slow down Pidge. We just started breathing again."


End file.
